Not On My Watch
by fairywings81
Summary: Post-CoG, Pre-CoFA: Isabelle has a much harder time than anyone could guess with the death of her youngest brother. Simon finds her in a rather unsafe mental state.


Simon knew something was wrong when he walked into the apartment. The lights were off, and that wasn't normal. Isabelle had said she was going to be home. "Izzy?" He set down the backpack he'd brought over. "Isabelle?" He suddenly heard something that scared him. Izzy, what's wrong? What are you trying to do?

"Simon, don't come in here!" Isabelle's voice shrilled just as the vampire was getting closer to the bathroom. "I mean it, I'll stake you where you stand!"

"Isabelle...?" Simon felt panic rising. "Izzy, what's going on?" He didn't get any closer to the bathroom, though it was a real struggle not to just barge the door open.

"I can't do this anymore, Simon. I can't just... be here. It should've been me that died, not Max!" Simon's eyes widened, hearing those words, and then he almost leaped at the door, hearing Isabelle scream. "I'm coming, Max... I'm coming."

"Isabelle, no!" Simon barged into the bathroom. What met him made him stop cold. The mirror of the medicine cabinet was in shards on the floor. His girlfriend was sitting on the toilet, one wrist sliced open. She was about to get the other too. "Stop!"

"W-why? He... he needs his older sister. He's alone..." Isabelle looked up at Simon, pleadingly. "It should've been me, not him, not him!" She cringed when Simon stepped forward. "No, I told you! Don't you dare to try to keep him away from me!" She leaped up to get away from him, but Simon was faster. He grabbed her bleeding wrist, and applied pressure, while wrenching the glass shard from her other hand. "S-simon, stop...please...I.. I don't want to be here anymore!"

"Too bad," Simon told her, grabbing her firmly, and pulling her out of the bathroom. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and started to text Alec. Isabelle knocked the phone out of his hand, glaring at him. Tears streamed down her cheeks, causing her mascara to run. Simon's heart ached for her. "Why didn't you tell me, Izzy?" He pulled her close to him, ignoring the fight that got him. He held her firmly, stroking her hair. "Shh...I'm here, it's okay." Simon found that he, himself, was shaking too. "I...I don't want you to leave me, Isabelle. I'd be lost without you."

"I...I hate you, Simon! God, I hate you! It's because of you that I can't leave!" Isabelle pounded on him. "Just get out!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Simon informed her over her screaming. "You shouldn't be alone right now." Simon firmly led her back to her bedroom, and closed the door. "I'll stay up with you all night if I have to,Izzy." Simon picked up the cordless on her dresser, and dialed Alec again, keeping an eye on his girlfriend. Isabelle was pacing frantically. He removed a few sharp objects from her reach as he waited for the eldest Lightwood to pick up. Come on, Alec! Pick the damn phone up!

"Isabelle, this better be important. Magnus and I were busy." Alec's annoyed voice said into Simon's ear a minute later.

"Sorry to interrupt your sleepover, but Isabelle is having a nervous breakdown over here." Simon replied crisply. He didn't care if Alec got mad at him. Isabelle was who was important right now. Not Alec and Magnus. "Can you please come talk to her?"

Alec was suddenly all business when he replied. "What's wrong? Is she okay?"

"Well, she was trying to kill herself, so I don't think she's alright by a long shot." Simon saw Isabelle trying to climb out of her window to get on the fire escape to get away. He grabbed her, and yanked her back inside. "I really think you should be here right now." He held on to Isabelle's wrist firmly,trying not to wince as she attempted to dig her nails into him. "And maybe bring Jace and Clary?" He hung up leaving Alec no time to reply. Simon used both hands to bring her into the kitchen where he knew first aid equipment was kept. "Alec's on his way."

"I hate you! How could you get Alec involved?" Isabelle's eyes blazed with fury. "He's just going to lecture me!"

"Good! Someone should. Do you realize how stupid you're being?" Simon didn't mean the words. He wanted his strong, confident Isabelle back. The girl that sat in front of him wasn't her. "Max wouldn't want you to hurt your family like this!" He bandaged her wrist as best as he could with her fighting him. "Hold still!"

"No! It doesn't matter anyway. I'm just going to do it again when you leave!" She glared furiously at him. "I should have never let you move in!"

"You're just mad because I won't let you be selfish." Simon replied, his voice soft. He glanced up as knock came on the door. "Come in, Alec." He sighed inwardly in relief as the Shadowhunter came in. He stood back as Alec approached his sister.

"Izzy..." Alec's voice was gentle, as he squatted so that he could stare her in the face. He took her chin in his palm, and made her look at him. "You haven't been sleeping at all, have you?"

"What's it to you? You're off frolicking with Magnus all the time anyway. You don't care about the rest of us!" Isabelle pulled away sharply. But it didn't last long. Alec heaved her into his arms, and cradled her soothingly. "S-stop being so nice to me, damn it! I got our brother killed, don't you care?" o

"You didn't kill him, Isabelle." Alec's voice remained steady, as he laid her down on the bed. He glanced over at Simon. "What happened to set her off?"

"I don't know." Simon frowned. "I was actually just getting back from band practice. Things didn't feel right, so I started looking, and found her like this." Simon sighed, leaning against the wall. "Has this happened before, Alec?"

"Not to my knowledge, but she did run off the Idris for a while." Alec returned his attention to Isabelle. The girl was resting now, though still not happy, and still crying. Her brother reached up and pulled some of her strands of hair out of her eyes. "Magnus thinks he might have some kind of solution to it." Alec pulled out his cellphone and Simon watched him dial fast numbers. "Simon, can you bring me a glass of water and two pain relievers?"

"Uh. Sure." Simon went off to find the medicine. Thanks to his sensitive hearing, he was still able to hear anything Alec said to Magnus. He fowned at some of the ideas the warlock and Shadowhunter tossed around, none of which he thought would be useful to Isabelle.

"...Mom thought of that too, when she ran off for a while. But I don't know if that would be suitable for her." Alec paused in his thoiughts to listen to Magnus. Finally, Simon couldn't find any reason to directly avoid going back into the room, so he did. "Thansk, Simon This will help her headache." Isabelle was laying on the bed now, looking miserable. Her brother didn't move an inch to give her space. Alec returned to his phone conversation for a couple more minutes before hanging up. "Magnus thinks she should be hospitalized."

"It might not be a half-bad idea, to be honest." Simon sighed. He didn't want to see her in a place like that. Isabelle was stronger than that. "Don't you guys have a rune for something like this?"

"Like this? Probably not. But you just gave me a good idea. Maybe Clary could..."

"NO!" Isabelle glared at them both now. "We're not getting her involved in this! It's not right! Besides, I should suffer anyway!" That set her off on a whole new round of hysterics. Simon helped Alec take her back to the bedroom.

"Isabelle Sarah Lightwood, stop this insanity right now!" Alec yelled. "I will not have my sister talking like this anymore!" He turned to Simon then. "Hey, vampire. If you love her so much, hold her down for me. I'm going to have to sedate her Shadowhunter style."

"Alexander, I swear if you do...!" Isabelle glared at Simon as he grabbed her wrists firmly. "That's it! We're over! I hate you!"

Simon tried hard not to let her words effect him. He told himself she was just hysterical, and not thinking clearly. He sat her down as her elder brother pulled out his stele. "It's not going to hurt her is it?"

"No more than marking herself for a battle would." He began to draw the rune on her as precisely as he could. Alec was no sooner done when Isabelle was nodding off. "Okay, we can lay her down now." He picked his sister up, and laid her down on her bed again. "Can you stay with her? I"m going to go call Magnus again, now that she's resting."

Simon nodded, and went to sit beside her. Isabelle's hair was a mess, but Simon didn't care. He leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead, taking her hand in his. "I know you're mad at me right now, but I hope you'll forgive me in the long run." I wouldn't bear it if you left me. I'd be so lost. He got up, and after kissing her on the forehead again, he left, closing the door. "Hey, Alec, I've gotta get to band practice."

"Sure. I'll stay and keep an eye on her. Clary and Magnus are going to come over with Jace." Alec smiled. "And Simon?"

Simon turned at the door, and blinked. "Yeah?"

"Thanks. My sister is lucky to have someone like you."

Simon nodded, and left, closing the door behind him.


End file.
